Movable merchandise indicator



July 3, 1962 R. J. SLAVSKY 3,041,760

' MOVABLE MERCHANDISE INDICATOR Filed March 6, 1961. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. SLAVSKY ATTORNEYS July 3, 1962 R. J. SLAVSKY 3,041,760

MOVABLE MERCHANDISE INDICATOR Filed March 6, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fli E I8 12 s u M gl9 l9 INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. SLAVSKY ATTQRNEYS United States Patent Ofitice 3,041,760 Patented July 3, 1962.

This invention relates to a movable merchandise indicator and more particularly to an indicator or marker arranged for securement to a shelf or cabinet for indicating merchandise, such as of the type shown in my prior patent, No. 2,923,078 issued February 2, 1960, and in my copending application Ser. No. 3,187, filed January 18, 1960.

The indicator of this invention is particularly concerned with providing a panel preferably in an arrow shape, which may be mounted upon the edge of a shelf or on a cabinet in a retail establishment, such as a supermarket or drug store, or the like, and wherein the mounting means is so formed that the indicator panel will rock or vibrate towards and away from the merchandise upon the shelf or in the cabinet when the panel is exposed to any slight air movement or manually contacted.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to form an indicator or marker panel having a simplified, inexpensive, wire mounting means, which mounting means is resilient and flexible and is adapted to permit the panel to rock back and forth under the slightest pressure which may be caused by air movement or under vibration such as heavy footsteps or movement of merchandise or upon manual contact.

A further object of this invention is to form an indicator or marker having a wire support which is formed to be easily and frictionally attached to the edge of a shelf by means interconnected with the conventional price tag molding strip found on shelf edges in stores and wherein the wire is formed as a coil spring to permit rocking or movement of the panel relative to the shelf.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of which: the attached drawings form a part.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the indicator mounted upon a shelf edge.

FIG. 2 is a view of the indicator, per se, taken in the direction of arrows 2-2 of FIG, 1.

FIG. 3 is a view like FIG. 1 but showing a single ply, weighted, indicator mounted on a vertical surface of a cabinet by a mounting molding.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of arrows 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows the mounting molding of FIG. 3 per The indicator hereof comprises a flat panel 10 and a mounting wire or wire support 11. The panel is formed of at least one thin sheet of stiff sheet material such as a suitable plastic. In FIGS. l-2, the panel is shown as being formed of two sheets 11a and 11!; arranged in face to face contact and secured together by rivets 12 at the respective corners of the sheets and the sheets are cut into the shape of an arrow. In FIG. 3, the panel 80 is shown as formed of but a single ply, without rivets 12.

The panel is normally arranged in a vertical plane with the arrows pointing towards the merchandise upon a shelf.

The mounting wire 11 is formed of a single piece of thin, straight, springy wire '15 which has one of its ends bent into a sinuous or triple loop formation 13 to surround and fit between and frictionally engage and loclc to three rivets 14 passing through the panel. This particular construction is shown in my prior Patent No. 2,923,078, mentioned above.

The opposite end of the wire is bent into a mounting. formation 18 which is in the shape of an M arranged with its legs horizontal with the M being bent into a vertical plane perpendicular to the plane of the panel 10.v

The central portion of the wire is bent into a coil spring shape shown at 20 and having a large number of coils closely wound and with the opposite ends of the coil spring being spaced a considerable distance from the secured end 13 and the mounting formation end 18' of the wire 15. The portions 19 of the Wire between the respective ends thereof and the ends of the coil spring formation are straight and axially aligned and the axis of the coil spring is arranged parallel to said straight portions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting formation 18 is arranged to be secured to a horizontally arranged shelf 25 which normally would carry merchandise. Secured. to the front edge 26 of the shelf is the conventional price tag channel 27 which extends horizontally along the vertical edge of the shelf and which has a pair of lips 28 which define the channel. The mounting formation is fitted into this channel with the legs of the M arranged horizontally and in contact with the lips 28 to thus secure the mounting formation within the channel. The M is quite flexible and can be inserted simply by' compressing the horizontal legs towards each other to, insert them into the channel and can be removed simply by manually grasping the middle V of the M and squeez-- ing it together to thus squeeze the horizontal legs of' the M together and remove it from the channel.

Also, the M formation can be bent or stretched orcompressed to take a permanent set in a larger or smaller size, that is in a compressed M form or in a wide M form to fit various size molding strips 27.

In operation, the indicator is secured within a price tag molding strip 27 as indicated in the drawings with the arrow of the panel thus pointing towards some specific items upon the shelf which the storekeeper wishes to feature. Because of the coil configuration ofthe wire, the arrow will rock or vibrate towards and away from the merchandise at which it is pointed and this rocking will be caused by any slight movement of air within the store, such as the movement of air caused by blowers or air conditioners or heating systems and will also be rocked under any heavy vibration such as the movement of articles upon the shelf or any footsteps or the like and also will be moved if manually contacted by any passerby. The arrow will normally rock only in the vertical plane towards and away from the merchandise, although if it is contacted it might move somewhat horizontally and then settle down to vibrating in the vertical plane again.

Thus, with this device, a Storekeeper can feature a... particular item of merchandise and because of the constantly moving indicator, this merchandise will be flagged The indicator can be to the attention of a shopper. mounted in any particular part of the store desired so long as there is a conventional price tag molding of any wide range of sizes available to receive the mounting formation 18.

tension is used and the panel will oscillate.

sults. Hence, we add a weight 81 and obtain the same oscillating efiect with the same spring and the same tension. This enables one to buy one specified spring tension, regardless of whether it is to be used with a light weight panel 80 or a heavy-weight panel and when it is to be used with a light-weight panel we add the weight 81 if needed.

Note the weight 81 is secured in the same way as the wire end 13, overlying it.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4, we see a small piece 82 of channel molding open at both ends and having magnets 84 on the rear. The magnets enable the small molding piece and the indicator inserted into this small molding piece to be mounted on steel cabinets or shelving such as refrigerator cabinets, at any desired points. Note that the molding 82 is open at both ends to make it easy to insert the M-shaped wire end into the molding through an end of the molding.

The magnetic securing means 84 enables this indicator to be used wherever desired. When used on a display cabinet, it projects into the aisleway slightly and this is desirable not only because it attracts attention, but because it is being bumped by moving tratfic and in so doing, is caused to oscillate and attract attention to itself.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following attached claims. Accordingly, it is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely illustrative of an operative embodiment of this invention and not in a strictly limiting sense.

I now claim:

1. A movable merchandise indicator comprising a flat panel and a wire mounting means, the panel being arranged in a vertical plane and being formed of at least one thin, flat sheet of substantially rigid material and being shaped as an arrow for pointing in a generally horizontal direction in the plane of the sheet; the wire mounting means comprising a thin, springy wire having one end permanently secured to the panel at the bottom edge of the panel at a location which is a greater distance, measured horizontally, from the point of the arrow than is the center of gravity of the panel, and depending from the panel, but in the plane of the panel, at an acute angle relative to the bottom edge thereof and extending towards the direction that the arrow is pointed; the opposite end of the wire being bent into a mounting formation, normally located directly beneath the point of the arrow, for engaging and for being secured to the front edge of a shelf; the central portion of the wire being coiled into a closely wound coil spring formation of substantial length and of a large number of substantially uniform size coils and with the ends of the coil spring being at a considerable distance from the respective ends of the wire, the portions of the wire extending from the spring ends being straight and axially aligned and of a shorter length than the length of the coil spring, and the coil spring being axially parallel to the straight portions of the wire, whereby, when the mounting formation of the wire is secured to a shelf edge, the panel arrow will point towards the shelf and will rock towards and away from the shelf substantially within the plane of the panel upon being exposed to air movements or manual contact.

2. A movable merchandise indicator comprising a flat panel and a wire mounting means, the panel being arranged in a vertical plane and being formed of at least one thin, flat sheet of substantially rigid material and having a forward edge for pointing in a generally horizontal direction in the plane of the sheet; the wire mounting means comprising a thin, springy wire having one end permanently secured to the panel at the bottom edge of the panel at a location which is a greater distance, measured horizontally, from the forward edge than is the center of gravity of the panel, and depending from the panel, but in the plane of the panel, at an acute angle relative to the bottom edge thereof and extending towards the direction that the forward edge is pointed; the opposite end of the wire being bent into a mounting formation, normally located directly beneath the forward edge, for engaging and for being secured to the front edge of a shelf; the central portion of the wire being coiled into a closely wound coil spring formation of substantial length and of a large number of substantially uniform size coils and with the ends of the coil spring being at a considerable distance from the respective ends of the wire, the portions of the wire extending from the spring ends being straight and axially aligned and of a shorter length than the length of the coil spring, and the coil spring being axially parallel to the straight portions of the wire, whereby, when the mounting formation of the wire is secured to ashelf edge, the panel will point towards the shelf and will rock towards and away from the shelf substantially within the plane of the panel upon being exposed to air movements or manual contact.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 289,033 Shattuck Nov. 27, 1883 1,694,639 Brown Dec. 11, 1928 1,771,126 Kelsea July 22, 1930 2,850,820 Lersch Sept. 9, 1958 2,923,078 Slavsky Feb. 2, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,486 Great Britain Aug. 25, 1909 

